~ musings on my life as an artist ~

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Month: August 2012

So… just read on the ten healthiest foods “on the planet”… leaving out salmon ’cause I’m a long-time vegetarian, but here are the rest. Happily I’m a lover of all of them… and reading this article made me quite ravenous for a cold bean salad with walnuts-lemon dressing!

Lemons: Just one lemon has more than 100 per cent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase ’good’ HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones. And the citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Potatoes: One red potato contains 66 micrograms of cell-building folate — about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or broccoli. One sweet potato has almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you need daily.

Broccoli: One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 per cent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 per cent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C — two essential bone-building nutrients. The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers

Beans:Eating a serving of legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by 22 per cent. That same habit may also reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Walnuts: Contain the most omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce cholesterol, of all nuts. Omega-3s have been shown to improve mood and fight cancer; they may protect against sun damage, too (but don’t skip the SPF!).

Spinach: Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two immune-boosting antioxidants important for eye health. Recent research found that among cancer-fighting fruits and veggies, spinach is one of the most effective.

Garlic: Garlic is a powerful disease fighter that can inhibit the growth of bacteria, including E. coli. Allicin, a compound found in garlic, works as a potent anti-inflammatory and has been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood-pressure levels.

A friend is coming into town tonight from “up North”… this particular friend and I have a normal pattern we tend to stray little from: he always parks a gazillion blocks away from where we meet, and thus requires the two of us walking/meandering back to his car, stopping off wherever we may wish. Then, we hit up one or more Comic stores… where he browses and I usually buy more than one novel (today I want to grab a couple more of the Fables series, I have 1-4 already but need to grab the next few installments). Possibly dinner, and then I thing we may go see tehBATMAN! I can’t wait!

I woke up at 5 am and felt the crisp cool air drift across my face, coming in from my open window. It was lightly raining when I made my way outside to head to work, umbrella in hand… still in sandals to let the raindrops tap a tune on my toenails. I love rainy days. Unfortunately having to go to work is not my favorite thing to do- I’d much rather be hunkered over a pot of jasmine tea and contemplating what size birch panels I need to pick up for my “wise guys” portrait series. However I guess for now I’ll wait, get through the day and if it’s sunny after work I’ll just head over to the art store and simply pick some up.

So… had all these plans to spend a few hours in my front-studio this week, priming and planning and putting the first few layers on a couple of new paintings, but my plans have been kaiboshed by this damned summer gloriousness! Between simply being too hot in my studio to paint, the sun calls me to actually be outside and revel in the heat. Inside, with the added humidity which we ol’ Albertains arent’ used to, all I want to do when I’m inside is sit and sweat and move as little as possible. Today is supposed to reach 30 degrees… again… however there is a bit of relief on its way. This weekend is supposed to be a bit cooler, and rainy, and should render my studio bearable.

I’ve bought some small wooden disks and just ordered some sterling-silver ring-forms; personally I’ve been on the lookout for an awesomely funky owl ring, and not being able to find one that I just love, am going to make my own. I’m making a few other woodland friends, so keep an eye out for when the critters make an appearance!